Rage 2 beginners: essential tips to know before stepping into the wasteland

When the going gets tough, the tough get tips

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Image credit: id Software

Ready to grab the wasteland by the horns? Well, now that Avalanche Studios’ combined effort with id Software is available globally, it can be tempting to roll full steam ahead into the vast apocalyptic world of Rage 2.

However, with so many games on the market, we want to make sure you use every second of your spare time to its optimum. That’s why after numerous hours of exploring what Rage 2 has to offer, we’ve put together this list of nine essential beginners tips that are worth knowing before starting.

Learn to 'Focus'

Use the Force... wait, wrong game...

From the get-go, protagonist Walker is given the Focus ability as his/her first Nanotrite. It’s easy enough to use, giving players view of hidden nearby enemies and noteworthy objects such as vehicles.

Above all of this, there are lots of additional perks like being able to repair the Phoenix vehicle, as well as the opportunity to absorb any Feltrite (health/resource) left behind by fallen enemies. Upgrading this perk will then allow Focus to set alight any explosives, making for a wicked combination used to take down groups of unsuspecting foes.

Head to Arks

Arks should be your first point of call

Arguably the most important tip in this guide surrounds how to get the best powers and weapons. Arks are space vaults found across the land being guarded by rogue factions out for blood. By defeating the groups, Walker can open the Ark and claim a new toy.

Simply put, the more Arks you scavenge, the better equipped you will be for taking on the tougher bands of goons later down the line. Though not always made obvious, speaking to residents in Trade Towns can present hints for the Arks whereabouts. Not to mention some of these merchants will sell specific maps leading you right to the front door.

Customizable controls (sort of)

Sometimes it's worth rejigging your controller settings

Customization is always welcome and, while not the most substantial of options, Rage 2 does give users a few interchangeable control choices for every aspect of the game. Alternative control layouts can be found for On Ground, Abilities, Land Vehicles, and Air Vehicles in the settings menu under controller layout.

The most noticeable difference we found was for driving vehicles - changing the strangely positioned default setting to alternative number two. Of course, this is all personal preference.

Don’t bother exploring on foot

Kick up some dust in the wasteland

It’s called a wasteland for a reason. One of the biggest gripes we found in our Rage 2 review was that there are acres of terrain to explore, yet often little to do. Sometimes you’ll even find stretches of land completely baron from life, meaning there’s no point traversing on foot.

With Uber no longer around, always make sure a vehicle is nearby or, if in trouble, call one in via the vehicle tab on the menu.

Data and menus

Location, location, location

Rage 2 has a large quantity of menus to traverse, with many corners of information hidden within one another. It can be a little overwhelming at first glance and opting to ignore them for the most part does seem like the less painful choice, but bear with it. Diving into the UI brings lots of benefits, including hints on where to find weapons, Nanotrites and undiscovered locations.

On top of this, any important information found via Data Pads or general chatter will be held in the Log tab for perusing at your leisure. NPCs can give off more intel than you think, so remember to speak with them more than once.

Fortune favors the bold

There's nothing wrong with lowering the difficult when needed

Difficulty in Rage 2 is an interesting subject. Playing through on normal rarely wielded any trouble. Thankfully, this can be increased or decreased at any time throughout the campaign without any repercussions.

The point here is that enemy grounds harnessing more fire power might seem worth avoiding until your stats are considerably higher. This is not the case. Every spot is given a number between one and 10, with the latter being the deadliest. From our experience, any location up to rank eight is reasonably accessible in the early stages – excluding sentries.

Anything from Bandit Dens to Mutie Nests to Fallen Rangers can be taken on without too much hassle. Hell, if you’re feeling brave then even the most brutal zones can be quite favorable - if you keep on your toes.

Unlock the Gyrocopter ASAP

Why walk when you can fly?

We cannot stress enough how useful Rage 2’s Gyrocopter (known as Icarus) is for traversing the post-apocalyptic lands. The flying vehicle is unlocked by reaching level seven with Dr. Kvasir, who can be found in the western side of the map. However, it is not necessary to meet with the doctor before gaining access to Icarus.

The quickest way to unlock the Gyrocopter is to complete the Ground Control storyline alongside clearing out several Arks along the way. As soon as Walker is set free in the world, head here to reap the awards for the entirety of the playthrough.

Fall damage is real

Rage 2's fall damage is no funny business

With so many tall structures, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Ranger suit is impenetrable to fall damage. Afraid not. Walker can take severe damage from falling from buildings and will struggle to stand for a second, giving opponents a chance to finish the job.

To prevent this from happening, upgrade to the Impact Absorption perk via the Search and Recover project in tier two. Doing so removes all damage when landing from great heights - apart from cliffs, for those that have a death wish.

Doc knows best

An apple a day keeps the Cyber Doc away

An abundance of merchants are available to trade, buy and sell goods to from the resources picked up while travelling. Predominantly the most important of these is the Cyber Doc found in Wellspring.

Here players can upgrade their health, overdrive and weapon damage in exchange for augmentations: specifically, one Life Gland, one Ark Tek Core and one Neuronic Interface. He also sells a hard reset for your Nanotrites abilities, allowing redistribution of any upgrades and resources acquired at this point.

As you enter Wellsprings, follow the path right through a tunnel with pipes and you should see a blur glowing doorway in front. Here lies the doctor.